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A comment on W. H. Auden’s 1954 review of The Fellowship of the Ring. Parent comment

Re:W. H. Auden’s 1954 review of The Fellowship of the Ring by bombcar on Sunday August 20, 2023 @02:08AM (#37196606)
It's also arguable that undue concern for commercialization kept the Silmarillion out of print, because he kept trying to bring it to the level of perfection found in the LotR.
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Re:W. H. Auden’s 1954 review of The Fellowship of the Ring by thaumasiotes on Sunday August 20, 2023 @05:32AM (#37197555)
The Silmarillion has not reached the level of quality that would normally be required for publication. The only reason it's published at all is the popularity of Tolkien's other work.

"Perfection" really isn't the right concept here. The Silmarillion is not perfectly written. It also isn't adequately written.

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